Inclosure for a number of indoor courts



Feb. 4, 1936. v HADDEN ET AL 2,030,029

INCLOSURE FOR A NUMBER OF INDOOR COURTS Filed July 8, 1935 INVENTDFI 27gm @MM BY CIAMZM A.

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ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 4, 1936 PATENT, oF icE (INGLOSURE FOR A NUMBER,or

. nmooa ooun'rs Gavin Hadden, New York, and Charles .A..Holden, NewRochelle, N. Y. said Holden ass'ignor to said Hadden Application July 8,1933, Serial No. 679,524

4 Claims. (Cl. 2.0-1.12)

This invention relates to an linclosing structure providing space forthe playing of court gamesindoors.

While the structure comprising our invention is adapted for use inconnection with a variety of games such as indoor tennis, badminton,paddle tennis, etc., it will be described tor the purpose of thisdisclosure, in its application as an inclosure for a number of indoortennis courts.

This invention is an improvement upon the structure disclosed in United:States Letters Patent No. 1,883,731, granted to Gavin Hadden andCharles A. I-Iolden October 1 8, 193.2,which relates to a new type ofinclosure for an indoor tennis court-the so-cal1ed"trajectory typeinwhich the roof is arched over 'the court a direction corresponding withthe longer dimension of the court, the roof being opaque and all lightbeing transmitted from the end of the structure which are parallel withthe longer dimensions or the court. That structure is very satisfactoryas an inclosure for a single court.

When a number of courts are desired, it of course, more economical toprovide a single 'inclosing structure than a number of structuresinclosing a similar number of courts. In a single inclosure, however,adequate daylight lighting cannot be attained from windows located inthe ends of the building, and windows or skylights of the kindheretofore used are undesirable because of the glare caused thereby.

Our present invention aims to overcome this difiiculty-and-contains anumber of improvements and advantages which are set forth and fullydescribed in the following specification and the claims appendedthereto.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. l is an end view of our improved structure, the part incross-section being taken on the line Il of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section; and

Fig. 3 is a. top plan view, partly in cross-section.

In the drawing, represents the horizontal surface or floor on theinterior of the inclosing structure upon which a number of courts arelaid out in parallel relation, the boundaries of the courts beingindicated by the marking lines II. The usual nets I2 are provided alongthe transverse middle line of the courts.

The inclosing structure comprises the translucent end walls l3, whichare parallel to the longer dimensions of the courts, and the roof I4,

which is curved .or' arched over the courts in a direction correspondingwith the longer dimension of said courts and obtains its greatest heightover the nets 'IZ whichmark the transverse middle line of the playingsurface. 'The upper portions 5 of the end walls [3 are. constructed ofglass panes supported in suitable frames 16.

According to our pnesentinvention, the-contour of the roof I4 is brokenby a number of raised portions or monitors 11. The raised portions Ill 0of the roof are more steeply .arched than the lower portions, beinghighest at the center and approaching the lower portions of the roof .atthe sides of the floor, or at the low side walls .X, as shown in theembodiment of our invention 15 illustrated in the drawing. The may besupported by trusses .as illustrated, in the sides 18 of the raisedportions, with top and bottom chords 'lBband 1.9a, and web members 20and '21., which may be comparatively light steel members. 20 Thevertical web members 2.0 serve also to supportsuitableirames2-2 forglasspanes .23., through which light .is admitted to the courts "below,the windows so formed being parallel with the side lines of the courts.

The .roof .14 is opaque, except for the (translucent sides 1.8 of theraised portions 11,, and the said raised portions are so spaced inrelation. to the courts .below that light will .be transmitted to eachcourt from beyond the side lines of .the court. .The transmission oflight to the courts immediately beneath the windows in the .sides 18 isprevented by the overhangs :24. These overhangs permit light to be-.admitted to adjacent courts, but not .to the court directly below.

In order to insure the cutting on of all light which might otherwise bedirected upon the court below, opaque screens .25 may be used, extendinginwardly .at the bottom of the translucent sides l8, or outwardly at thetop .of the translucent sides, either alone, or in conjunction with theoverhangs 21..

Because .of the substantially .anched shape of the root, the 'windows'orlight-admitting portion of the sides l8 will be nearer the floor attheir ends than in the middle. This condition tends to make the ends ofthe courts lighter than they would if these windows were as far from thefloor at their ends as at the middle, and, if these windows were ofuniform width this condition would produce greater illumination at theends of the courts than at the middle. For adequate daylight lighting,suflicient uniformity of illumination is of equal importance withsufiicient intensity of illumination, throughout the space used for playand any variations from uniform illumination must be such that theillumination near the net line shall not be less than the illuminationfurther away from the net line. These conditions of illumination areobtained by properly varying the width of the windows from a maximumwidth at their center over'the net line, where the windows are farthestfrom the floor, to a minimum width at their ends, where they are nearestto the fioor.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the area of thelight-admitting space in each side wall of the monitor or monitors is afunction of its distance from the playing surface or floor. It may beexpressed mathematically by the formula where a: is the width of thelight-admitting space in the monitor at any given point on its loweredge measured radially thereto; a is the maximum width of thelight-admitting space in the monitor, at the point on its lower edgewhich lies on the center line of the monitor, measured vertically; c isa factor whose value must lie between .19 and .33; and y is the heightof the point at which a is measured vertically above the point at whicha: is measured.

The limits of the constant e have been de termined by mathematical andgraphical research. The results produced by the formula with the valueof between the limits given above will produce the desired result,while, if c is given a value outside the limits set forth above, suchresults will not be obtained.

By applying this formula, the translucent or light-admitting portion ofeach side wall may be varied in such a way that the solid anglesubtended by the translucent portion at any point in any line parallelto the monitor in the plane of play shall be approximately equal to thesolid angle at any other point in the same line.

Since the inclosing structure described herein is opaque except for thetranslucent sides l8 of the raised portions l1, and the end walls l3, itwill be seen that light is admitted to the courts from the sides of thecourts through windows which are substantially parallel with the longerdimensions of the courts. By means of the construction described herein,adequate daylight lighting is provided for a number of courts withoutthe necesity for windows or skylights admitting light directly in frontof or above the players, and the size and expense of the enclosure isreduced to a minimum while providing ample headroom over the middle ofeach court where greatest height is required.

What we claim is:

1. An inclosure for a number of courts, comprising a roof arched in adirection corresponding with the longer dimension of each of said courtsand having, at spaced intervals, raised portions provided withtranslucent side walls for admitting light to said courts only from thesides,

and means for cutting off light directed to said courts from pointsdirectly above said courts, the width of the said light-admitting areasbeing varied from the highest point to the lowest point in such a mannerthat in any plane parallel to the surface of said courts theillumination at all points in any line parallel to the said translucentside walls will be substantially uniform.

2. An indoor tennis court structure, comprising an oblong horizontalfloor having a shape and dimensions corresponding to the playing surfacefor a. number of standard tennis courts arranged side by side, an opaqueroof arching over said floor from one side of said playing surface tothe other, and having its greatest height along the longitudinal middleline of said floor, said roof having at spaced intervals raised portionswith translucent sides parallel with the ends of said floor, andtranslucent end walls connecting the end edges of the floor and roof soas to enclose the space necessary for the flight of the tennis ballswith a minimum wall and roof surface, and to provide for lighting of theenclosed tennis courts without glare, the light-admitting areas of thesides of said raised portions being greatest at their greatest heightabove the said floor and decreasing on either side to the points ofleast height above the playing surface or floor in such a way that inany plane parallel to the said floor the illumination of all points inany line parallel to said light-admitting areas will be substantiallyuniform.

3. In a structure for inclosing a number of indoor tennis courtsarranged side by side, the combination of a substantially arch-shapedroof having its greatest height over the transverse middle line of saidcourts and a crescent-shaped monitor having light-admitting side wallsthe translucent portion of which Varies in area in such a manner thatthe solid angle subtended by the translucent portion at any point in anyline parallel to the monitor in the plane of play shall be approximatelyequal to the solid angle at any other point in the same line, and sothat the solid angle subtended at any point shall not be less than thesolid angle subtended at any other point in the same line further awayfrom the net line.

4. In a structure for inclosing a number of indoor tennis courts havingan opaque roof arching over the floor in a direction corresponding withthe longer dimension of said courts, the method of securing uniformityof illumination along the flight of the ball in any plane of playparallel to the said floor which comprises interposing in said opaqueroof a crescent-shaped monitor having light-admitting areas in its sidewalls and varying the area of said light-admitting areas so that thesolid angle subtended by this area at any point in any line parallel tothe monitor in the plane of play shall be approximately equal to thesolid angle at any other point in the same line.

GAVIN HADDEN. CHARLES A. HOLDEN.

